An analysis of the morbidity and mortality of short-bowel syndrome in the pediatric age group

Twenty-two children with short-bowel syndrome (SBS) were treated at: the C. S. Mott Children's Hospital in the University of: Michigan Medical Center between June 1983 and May 1993. Definition of SBS was loss of 70% or more of the total small bowel. Seventeen of these children are currently alive, a 77% survival rate. Patients were followed for a mean of 1,148 days. The mean age of SBS development was 71 days of life. The only predictive indicator of patient survival was direct bilirubin levels. Sixty-seven percent of the children died if they had a direct bilirubin of > 4 mg/dl greater than or equal to 6 months duration.